How to grow strawberries: know where to start
Who likes strawberries? I personally love them and I know I'm not the only one as they are prevalent fruits, especially in summer, all over the world. Although they are extremely tasty fruits, they are also fragile and very delicate as they spoil with relative ease. In terms of health benefits, they have many interesting properties: antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and rich in nutrients and vitamins.
It can prevent cardiovascular diseases, reduce the risk of diabetes and prevent certain types of cancer. Did you know that? In this article, I give you general teachings that will help you to know how to grow strawberries at home. Choosing the place to plant your strawberry Before choosing the place in your home/garden where and how to grow strawberries, you should keep in mind some key ideas:
- Strawberries do not like compact soils;
- They prefer well-drained soils;
- They need direct sunlight;
Avoid planting your strawberries in wetlands during the spring as fungal diseases are more likely to appear on the leaves and roots of the strawberry plants; Before planting, you must eliminate all weeds; Watering is very important for the growth and development of strawberry plants. For that reason, plant them near a water source to make the work easier;
How to grow strawberries: soil preparation
Soil preparation is one of the most important steps to ensure the good growth and development of the strawberry crop. Assessing the pH of the soil should be one of the first steps to be carried out since they prefer soils with a pH between 5.3 and 6.2. As I said before, strawberry plants do not like very heavy/compact soils. To avoid this type of situation, you should make a harrow of 40 to 50 cm, in order to make the soil lighter and looser. Subsequently, you can and should make a more superficial harrow in order to incorporate organic matter and fertilizer into the soil, thus guaranteeing the nutrition of your plants.
How to grow strawberries: essential tips
The ideal time to plant strawberries in Portugal: is October to January; How to grow strawberries: ridges, pots, planters, PVC tubes. How to grow strawberries in ridges If you want to plant your strawberries on ridges, you must ensure that they are more than 25 cm high and have a rounded shape to avoid water accumulating. As for the width of the ridges, it must be between 60 and 70 cm (this ensures that there are 2 rows of plants in a single ridge). The ridges should be about 1 meter apart and covered with black plastic to prevent weeds from growing and favor the development of strawberry roots.
The planting compass should be approximately 30 cm between rows and 30 cm between each plant. The holes you dig for your strawberry plants should be wide enough for the plant's roots to develop properly. Avoid planting strawberries too deep or too much on the surface. The middle ground is the ideal situation. After planting the strawberries, apply light pressure to the soil around the plants and immediately water them.
Cleaning old strawberry leaves
Throughout the life cycle of the strawberry, it is necessary to clean its leaves, especially before flowering. To do this, start by removing the old leaves (promoting aeration and the appearance of diseases). Also, remove stolons from the plant as they appear. This operation will help the growth of the aerial part of the plant, making them stronger. If you want a more bountiful harvest of strawberries, remove some flowers from your strawberry plant during the earlier flowering.
Snail, Shell, Mollusk, Close Up, Snail Shell
How to grow strawberries: put the straw to protect plants from low temperatures I don't know if you already knew about this fact, but strawberries are very sensitive plants to low temperatures, namely low temperatures. Straw protects plants from lower temperatures, which can burn the buds and damage the strawberry roots. Place the straw between the rows of strawberries. Once temperatures start to rise again, remove most of the straw. However, leave some straw residues in order to conserve soil moisture. How to water strawberries: useful tips If you choose to plant strawberries in ridges, use drip irrigation. As the roots of strawberries are not very vigorous, you cannot leave the plants without water for a long time. There are critical stages for watering your strawberry plants: after planting, after winter dormancy, and during flowering.
At the peak of production, and in order to ensure the development and growth of the fruits, water your strawberries daily, as these plants consume a lot of water. If you choose another method, ensure that the soil is kept moist at all times, watering as often as necessary to achieve that goal. Be very careful not to soak the soil.
how to grow strawberries what you should know
How to grow strawberries: main phytosanitary problems Strawberries are susceptible to fungi and therefore pests and diseases can appear more easily. However, if you take some care you can minimize these phytosanitary problems. Some examples of measures that can minimize these problems:
Weed control;
- Plant varieties that are resistant to fungi,
- Place straw between the rows of ridges (if applicable);
- Plant the strawberries in well-drained soil;
- remove strawberries that are damaged by diseases and pests;
- If you plant strawberries again the following year, choose a plot of land where strawberries have not yet been planted;
- When to harvest?
- Your strawberries should be harvested between February and July, depending on the location, climate, and variety you have chosen.
